Alpine skiing-Magnificent Mayer earns respect from jealous rivals

YANQING, China : Austria's Matthias Mayer made history on Tuesday at the Beijing Games by winning an Alpine skiing gold medal at three straight Olympics, leaving his awe-struck rivals almost speechless.

Mayer claimed gold in the super-G, having previously topped the podium in the downhill at the 2014 Sochi Games and super-G at Pyeongchang 2018, as other favourites such as Swiss pair Beat Feuz and Marco Odermatt did not complete the course.

His achievement brought praise from fellow competitors who lauded his ability to produce his best on the big occasion.

"It's unbelievable. To make it happen on the days when it counts the most. I'm a little lost for words," said Norway's 36-year-old Kjetil Jansrud.

"He's been dominating for so many years but he also is one of the few who really steps up to the big occasion," he said.

That was echoed by Germany's Josef Ferstl, describing Mayer as a phenomenon. "It's something to be jealous of," he said.

U.S. silver medallist Ryan Cochran-Siegle was pleased to have pushed Mayer hard, finishing 0.04 seconds off the pace.

"To be so close to him, that's something special ... I wouldn't want to have it any other way," he said.

Mayer's Austria team mates Raphael Haaser and Max Franz had one word for his stellar performance.

"It’s madness how he always manages to get it done to this degree of precision," Haaser said.

Asked what it was like to have a skiing great like Mayer on the team, Austria's Vincent Kriechmayr, who came fifth, said it was always good to have a top athlete competing with you.

"You end up pushing each other forward. A good team mate is much more important than any coach," he explained.

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